Your Wisdom Is Needed!

[jjnelle]

Hello all knowing Degree Forum ,

I need your insight and guidance, if possible.

I honestly want to get my Bachelors finished and out of the way as soon as possible so i can pursue my Masters in HCI.

I took most of yesterday to find all my transcript from over the years and compile it into one doc, so I can share it with you all. It wasn't easy but I managed to figure out old passwords and logins. Where there is a will there is a way!

Here you go!
Courses and Total Credits Earned

I would truly appreciate it if you all can look over the classes and credits I've earned; (I believe I have about 122 credits in total) and let me know which of the BIG 3 would be the quickest, easiest and cheapest route to take. If I can get it done before the year is out I would be so happy and relieved! Is that realistic?
I say cheapest because the amount of debt I have accrued in loans is absolutely horrific! I have 15 more credits to get my degree at my most recent B&M but I would have to take out over $10,000 in loans to do this. I prefer to not do so but do be brutally honest and let me know what you think.

A little background:
I work in IT in UX and plan to pursue my Masters in any Human Computer Interaction aka UX degree program willing to accept me especially with a scholarship (fingers crossed). I also have interest in Psychology as well.

I really don't care which major I go into. My focus is just to get my Bachelors so I can start pursuing my Master's degree.

Questions:
Also do 'D' grades transfer into the "Big 3" schools?

Since I have 122 credits can I just transfer in all my credits and get my bachelors?

What is the quickest you think I could finish?

What route would you take?

Which college do you suggest I attend?

Thanks in advance

[emichele20]

Hello jjnelle and welcome to the forum.

Of course I will be biased because I went to TESC but I will do my best to answer your questions.

Also do 'D' grades transfer into the "Big 3" schools?- I know that TESC accepts D's as long as they are not in your major. I believe that Charter Oak does as well.

Since I have 122 credits can I just transfer in all my credits and get my bachelors?- Well it depends on if all of your credits will transfer in and if they will apply to the various degree requirements. Although your have 122 credits all of those credits may not fit into a TESC degree program. That is why it is best to apply and get your degree evaluation.

What is the quickest you think I could finish?- Well I think that this is more of a personal question. How much time and energy are you willing to dedicate? In my case when I started I only had 45 credits and I completed both my associates and bachelors in just about a year. Since you already have so many credits I believe that you could complete it in under a year or maybe a few months.

What route would you take?- To complete my degree I used ACE Credit from Straighterline, ALEKS, Defense Acquisition University, and Penn Foster. I also completed some FEMA courses as well. With all of the courses I completed via alternative methods I only had to take 6 courses with TESC to graduate.

Which college do you suggest I attend? Of course you know that I am going to say TESC and this is only on the fact that they accept so much raw FEMA credit. The other two do accept FEMA credit but you have to pay for it. I also think that TESC is the most flexible too when it comes to the various types of credits that they accept.

I hope that I have helped you out a bit and I am sure that you will receive tons of advice on this from other alumni as well.

[sanantone]

COSC now accepts raw FEMA credits.

[jjnelle]

Thanks so much for the reply!

I was often wondering how everyone on here came to a conclusion as to which college to attend. They all seem fairly similar. Ok so TOSC and COSC both allow more flexibility with what tests you can take to accomplish finishing your degree. Good to know!

Have others applied to all 3 colleges to see which one will take the most credits? I always got the vibe from this forum that when one applies to these schools they don't apply to all three but to one of them. Am I wrong?


I'm a bit overwhelmed with trying to decide on which is the right route to take. Stay at the B&M or not. *sigh*

[marianne202]

Jjnelle, welcome to the forum! You can always apply to all the schools that seem to fit your needs/goals, but since schools charge a fee to apply and have an evaluation done of your transcripts, most students just do the legwork themselves and pick the school based on the programs offered. If you look at the big 3 you see that most offer different programs or different areas of focus with little duplication of programs, except maybe liberal studies or general studies degrees. Just evaluate the programs that interest you and look at the coursework you have to transfer in and see who will give you the most for your credits, then apply to one or two that fit you the best. You can find several templates on this forum for figuring out where your credits will transfer, if not post them and someone will usually offer to help you that has been through the same program you are looking at. It can be daunting. Since I'm a college instructor/advisor I do this daily for students and it still gets tricky! Good luck!

[sanantone]

Have others applied to all 3 colleges to see which one will take the most credits? I always got the vibe from this forum that when one applies to these schools they don't apply to all three but to one of them. Am I wrong?

It depends on the program and the individual's transfer credits. I applied to all three schools' criminal justice programs. Excelsior's evaluation was very vague. They accepted half of the credits of TESC and COSC with the possibility of accepting a few more (but still less than the other two) after enrollment. The Multi-Source enrollment fee is over $1,000. It is quite out of the norm for a school to require you to pay over $1,000 for a decent evaluation. If you're needing to transfer in a lot of previous college credits, that's a huge chance to take. COSC and TESC accepted the same number of credits, but TESC accepted several courses as UL while COSC gave me no UL credits. In general, TESC is the most flexible, but it may not have the degree program or tuition payment plan you want.

[jjnelle]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I realize most don't apply to all three due to wanting to save money. However since my focus is to finish as quickly as possible, I guess having the option to see which schools took the least or most credits would be most beneficial.

I listed all the courses I took at my previous schools in hopes that someone would be able to look at them and make an educated guess as to which major I should pursue. I've done so many different subjects, so I'm rather confused on which major all those credits would possibly fit into. My main concern is finishing quickly so I can move on to my masters.

......
Oh no! Just realized I had this posted the whole time and the link wasn't working in my first post! So sorry about that.

Here is a link to all the credits I earned at the B&M colleges I attended. I would greatly appreciate any ideas or thoughts on what major might be a good fit based on my completed courses.

Total credits earned and courses completed

Thanks for all the help so far

[marianne202]

Just going through your credits quickly it looks like most of your credits are in the social science/arts areas which means that to get the most mileage you will need to choose a social science or liberal arts degree. Most specific degrees only allow on average 3-9 credits in these areas, while most of the credits must be in the subject area of the degree such as criminal justice, biology, education etc. While a liberal arts degree may be quick to finish and utilize the majority of your existing credits, is it the degree you want? You have to look at your careeer goals and long-term needs. I would look at the master's programs you are interested in and see what they require. If your master's program is competitive your undergrad degree major may be a factor. I understand being in a rush and thinking that an undergrad degree is just a means to an end, just make sure your haste doesn't end up costing you more time. A little research and time on the front side can save you a lot of headaches in the end. Good luck!